This invention concerns serving or dispensing a beverage, and a served or dispensed beverage.
For example the invention may concern dispensing a draught beverage and more particularly the dispensing of cooled draught beverage.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of dispensing beverage comprising delivering a beverage into a vessel and introducing cooled material into the vessel in addition to the beverage.
Preferably the cooled material is frozen. More preferably the cooled material is cooled beverage. Preferably the draught beverage is supplied from a beverage source and the cooled beverage is obtained from said source.
The cooled beverage may be cooled after having been obtained from said source and before being introduced into the vessel. Preferably the cooled beverage is at least partially frozen before being introduced into the vessel. The cooled beverage may be cooled to form a slush. Alternatively the cooled beverage may be frozen to a substantially solid form, which is then broken down before being introduced into the vessel. Preferably the frozen beverage is broken down into parts so as to form at least one of crushed ice, ground ice, ice slices and ice granules. Preferably the parts are of different sizes. For example the parts may be slices of different thicknesses.
Preferably in the source comprises a container of beverage. Preferably the beverage is dispensed at a font and the cooled material is introduced into the vessel at the font. The cooled material may be added to the beverage so as to dilute the beverage to a required strength. For example said strength may be an alcoholic strength. Preferably the beverage is selected from the group consisting of beer and cider. For example the beverage may be lager.
The cooled material may be introduced into the vessel before the beverage, after the beverage, or simultaneously with the beverage.
Preferably the cooled material is introduced into the vessel at a lower temperature than the beverage is dispensed into the vessel.
The present invention further provides apparatus for dispensing a draught beverage into a vessel, the apparatus comprising a dispensing nozzle for dispensing the beverage into the vessel and a cooled material dispenser for introducing cooled material into the vessel. Preferably the cooled material dispenser is arranged to dispense frozen material. More preferably the cooled material dispenser is arranged to dispense cooled beverage.
Preferably the dispensing nozzle and the cooled material dispenser are connected to a common source of beverage. More preferably the apparatus further comprises cooling means arranged to cool beverage from the source before it is supplied to the cooled material dispenser. Preferably the cooling means is arranged to at least partially freeze the beverage before it is introduced into the vessel. The cooling means may be arranged to cool the beverage to form a slush. Alternatively the cooling means may be arranged to freeze the beverage to a substantially solid form, and the apparatus further comprises at least one of a grinder, a crusher or a slicer for breaking down the frozen beverage.
Preferably the source comprises a container of beverage. Preferably the apparatus comprises a font which includes the dispensing nozzle and the cooled material dispenser. Desirably the apparatus is arranged to control the volumes of the dispensed beverage and the cooled material so as to dilute the beverage to a required strength, for example an alcoholic strength.
The apparatus may be is arranged to introduce the cooled material into the vessel before the beverage, after before the beverage, or simultaneously with the beverage. Preferably the cooled material dispenser is arranged to introduce the cooled material into the vessel at a lower temperature than the beverage is dispensed into the vessel from the dispensing nozzle.
The present invention further provides a beverage which has been dispensed according to the method of the invention.
The present invention still further provides apparatus for preparing a vessel to receive a beverage the apparatus comprising cooling means arranged to at least partially freeze a portion of the beverage, and delivery means arranged to dispense the at least partially frozen beverage into a drinking vessel.
Attention is drawn to two International patent applications, namely International Application No. PCT/GB99/03824 (published under No. WO01/36582) and International Application No. PCT/GB99/01551 (published under no. WO 99/60092). Any individual feature or any combination of such features of any beverage disclosed in either of those International Applications, and any method or apparatus or part of any method or apparatus disclosed in either of those International Applications, may be utilised in the serving or dispensing of beverage which in the subject of this current application.